There are only a handful of truly culture-driven companies. (There’s a lot of talk, there’s a lot of values statements, but little actual culture.) Real culture is hard. It’s hard because it takes emotion, introspection, commitment, and endless hard work.

It’s also hard because it requires a different kind of recruiting. You have to make judgments around deep ideas like passion, values, kindness, and vision (above and beyond the necessary job skills). These are emotional calls, which are hard and uncomfortable.

Culture is a choice. It’s an agreement by the team around a shared destination and a shared method for getting there. It’s an agreement around who gets permission to play on the team, what they need to believe, and how they behave. It’s really hard to find people who want a particular culture, will fit in that culture, and can thrive in that culture.

But it’s worth it. Because a company that has true culture sync is astonishingly fun, healthy, and effective. Worklife has meaning and intensity. You know why you’re there and why it matters.

We have one of the most consciously built cultures in Austin, combined with a mission that impacts society on a deep level. We’re about to get much larger, and we’ll deliver meaning on a much larger scale.

Here’s the question for you: Do you know how to run a recruiting program that can grow and improve a culture? If you do, this is a once-every-few-years opportunity to do it right. Do you have a vision for recruiting and culture done well? This is your chance to build it.

I taught word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University and internet entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business. I’m a serial entrepreneur who founded and advises startups and nonprofits. And I’m a rabid purist on the topic of marketing ethics.

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